Yesterday's steal: lamp & shade

So I ended up going into work to an empty office yesterday, forgetting it was a Stat holiday.

With nothing better to do, I left work and - what else? - shopped. On my way home, I found this festive red lampshade at my fave lamp and lighting store, Consumers Lighting, on Dufferin St. Then I popped into a Salvation Army Thrift Store on the way home, only to find it was 50 percent off day. I picked up a Ports vest for $1.50 and a sassy green Nygard trench coat for $3.50. I also found a pretty mauve Louben blazer for $3.50 that will be perfect for my Mom, and a pretty silk boho pillow for $1.50.

But this lamp, $12.99 regular price, was the keeper.

I had to fight to get it.

First I waited in line to get to the cash, only to be told it was final sale. When a lightbulb couldn't be found for me to test it, I found an employee in the back room who procured one, tested the lamp, then waited in the line all over again - only to be told the lamp wasn't part of the sale.

The cashier let me have it for 50 off in the end.

I just love it. What a statement piece. What texture. What a steal! The shade and base were made for eachother.

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Designer dress thrifted for my sis

Here's my sis in a dress I thrifted for her for Christmas, $9.99 at Value Village!!

Doesn't it look great on her?

I was SO pleased to find this dress. It's made by a Toronto designer Mark Foreman, who makes THE most flattering wrap dresses in wonderful mircrofibre fabric using the coolest patterns.

His label, Bionic Woman, can be found in hip T.O. boutiques like Eight on Danforth Ave. and Over the Rainbow in Yorkville and average $150-$200. Though I have bought one on sale at Eight I've found a few at Value Village in mint condition under $15. http://www.bionicwoman.ca/

My sis loved the dress. We figured it would rock in the summer with sexy strappy shoes and a tan.

I normally bag gifts as I believe in reusing, but this year I used paper - with three young nieces and nephews I didn't want to spoil the fun of tearing off the paper! I like the old-fashioned look of my sis's wrapped gift, pictured here. The matte golden paper with a light green bow I had saved from some press kit looks very eighteenth century, doesn't it? Like it was wrapped haphazardly in some market and parceled home in a carriage or something ....

For some fab tips on thrift gifts, and on eco chic and thrifty wrapping tips, take a peep at the new blog I just discovered called The Thrift Monster (great name!) http://thethriftmonster.blogspot.com/

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My holiday dress: retro Go-Go meets modern chic

I was going to show you the thrift dress I bought for my sis for Christmas, but I still have to figure out how to download pics from my NEW Blackberry to my mom's computer.

This post, btw, is late tonight as I was in transit today, going home for the holidays. Tonight I went out for dinner with Mom and Dad and wore my fave new dress (newer than the one a few posts below!) that I picked up at Goodwill while doing a shopping column there about shopping in January when you're broke.

Don't you just love it? It's a vintage double knit wool dress by Butte Knit, a US company that was a mega clothing manufacturer in the 1960s and 70s. I researched the label and apparently this was from the early 1970s.

It fits me like a glove, and feels so sleek and chic - and yet it's toasty warm and a perfect dress for the cold winter night it is here in ole Ottawa.

It cost me $8.99. The value of buying vintage clothing such as this is that so often the pieces are so well made that they stand the test of time, in more ways than one. With the exception of some wear on the navy velvet stripe on the pocket, the dress looks new. And the style? Retro vibe, yes, but timeless nevertheless.

I'm wearing it here with some simple silver jewellery, navy tights, and my thrifted Kenneth Cole Reaction boots.

It's kinda retro Go-Go meets airline stewardess meets modern chic, yes?

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Lavishy lavishes vintage sparkle

Yesterday I visited one of my fave jewellery stores in TO, Lavishy, which has just opened a second location at Yonge and Eglinton.

Owner Leo designs and sells mostly new jewellery, but lately he's been picking up vintage pieces at New York flea markets and the like on his travels. Not only that, he and his talented staff use vintage pieces to display their lovely wares. I just love the way these floral enamel pins sparkle in this old silver candy dish.

Here, retro clip earrings and a vintage bracelet repose on a pretty vintage plate.










Nearby, a teacup and saucer, a pretty plate and a tiny retro dish hold pretty baubles.

I really respect and admire retailers who think this way, who produce new items but who revere and incorporate the past into their work.

How about this?

This necklace is new (and only about $30; Lavishy's prices rock). The vintage-inspired baubles on it like the keys and the cameo are just darling aren't they?

Lavishy is located at 2525 Yonge St. or in the Junction (west Toronto) at 3095 Dundas St. West, main phone is 416-767-7472 www.lavishy.biz

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Top 10 Toronto Thrift Stores, part 4

I'm winding down my Top 10 Toronto Thrift Shops today and tomorrow. Lest you think I shop solely in the east end, the next two days I'm listing west end thrift shops and midtown consignment and retail shops with a thrifty edge ....

(Apologies btw, that the links to stores aren't working - Blogger seems to be showing everything in html coding when I create a post, including links --- help??).

My 7th and 8th picks:

7). Salvation Army Thrift Store
1219 Bloor Street
416-533-9553
http://thriftstore.ca

It's a smaller store by Sally Ann standards, but it rocks. There's not a ton of furniture but I've found great jewellery, brand new lampshades, and lots of wonderful clothing. The trick, of course, is going regularly. The Sally Ann, you may know, is an international Christian organization that provides social services to vulnerable people. The thrift stores rely on donations and proceeds from the store go back into funding SA programs. SA is 125 this year!

Best finds: Theory red cashmere ladies' sweater for $6.99 (brand new and still had Holt Renfrew tag on it read $299.00!!); Matt & Nat handbag in mint condition, $4.99; tons of great 1970s costume jewellery bling such as a beautiful mood ring with a patent number stamped on the back and another fab gold-tone ring (pictured up top), $3.99 each; and (pictured here) a Tara Jarmon Made in France blazer (dug up at the Parkdale store, a close second)for $4.99 that would retail for $500-600!!


8). Eldorado Second Hand Store
482 Roncesvalles Ave.,
416-531-7244

A Polish lady and her kitty preside in this second-hand shop, where you can pick up items for .50 cents to a buck. I've never found any designer pieces here but it's a good place to pick up basics. There's a back jean room where jeans are heaped into a big pile; I haven't had luck in that room but I keep hoping. I did find a MEXX rain jacket for a buck and a cool 1970s skirt for .50 cents. My absolute finito best find: a HUGE reversible wool are rug for $5 pictured here - a fiver, I kid you not!

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Top 10 Toronto Thrift Shops, part 3

Sorry I missed yesterday; here's part 3 of my Top 10 Toronto Thrift Shops, starting with number 5 ....

East/Central:

5). Value Village
2119 Danforth Avenue
416-698-0621
www.valuevillage.ca

It’s more expensive than Stretch Thrift or Sally Ann, but the selection is there and let’s put it this way: VV is a for-profit enterprise and it’s its job to get you good stuff. Still, I'd shop carefully ... Bongo Jeans can be close to $20 here where I’ve found them for $5.99 at other places.

Best deals: I always raid the jewellery cases as I’ve found some gorgeous retro and even vintage pins for a couple bucks – these tend to be underpriced compared to the sterling stuff (though the pin pictured above IS sterling and was bagged for a few bucks at VV). Often – and like many other thrift shops – the pricing gods at VV will underprice a well-made designer piece as they don’t know its value – meanwhile the mass market stuff is overpriced.

Best finds: 1970s boho velvet & paisley blazer, $7.99; scads of fab, mostly retro costume jewellery for $5-10 each; two Oriental style lamps for $24.99 each; Nine West booties in mint condition for about $14.99. Bonus: donate a substantial bag of stuff and you get 20 percent off.

6).Neat Things
1126 Queen St. East,
416-778-9453

This shop is jammed packed with furniture, decorative accessories, art, and other baubles. Leave the kids at home as there's too much bric-a-brac precariously balanced, and make sure you call first as owner Ellen's hours aren't always stringent. I love this place, though, and have spent good quality time rooting through everything. The prices are really reasonable, and there's no telling what you could find. My best finds: Liberty of London scarf - beautiful - for a couple bucks; retro Italian suede bag with red leather interior, for about a fiver if memory serves. P.S. There's a string of antique shops along this block with heaps of furniture and decorative accessories...

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Layaway art comes home

In preparation for a media interview tomorrow in my apartment, I was able to get my boo-ti-ful painting by artist
Julie Glick earlier than expected, thanks in no small part to the artist herself.

I hope this pic does justice to it, because I have to say it MAKES my apartment and is truly a statement piece painting on my wall.

I hung it over the green Kroehler loveseat, on a main wall that you see when you enter the living room.

I think it pops well against the green of the couch and the dark blue of the Persian carpet.

For those of you in Toronto Julie's painting exhibition is on at Red Sable gallery in Toronto until mid-November.

I just love it. I get a big silly grin on my face every time I see it.

I can't speak for all artists, but my experience is that many will work with you so you can buy a particular piece in installments. Great way to obtain an original work of art that you absolutely love!

More on media interview soon!

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Weddings on rooftops

Eep. Grunge Queen is feeling a bit fragile this Monday morning.

She went to a fab wedding on the rooftop of the Drake Hotel yesterday.

I was worried about wearing black - but everyone else was in the end. My silk tulip shape skirt by Peter Lam, thrifted at Value Village the week before for a mere $6.99, was perfect for the occasion.

I paired it with a sequin top by Planet I've had for years, some pewter shoes and nude fishnet stockings, a vintage bag and my black cashmere cape.

There were plenty of other stylish ladies there, including this lady who danced in the rain with yet another stylish lady.

I have a feeling her cape wasn't thrifted. She looks very Olympia Dukakis.

In fact the whole afternoon - the wedding, the rooftop, the rain, the champagne, the black - it was all very New York.

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My new fall statement piece blazer

I was going to continue yesterday's post but I had to interrupt regularly scheduled programming to tell you how happy I am (can't you tell?) about the blazer I found in Parkdale, Toronto yesterday afternoon at the Sally Ann there.

My heart started beating a little faster when I saw it as it's got a boho look to it. It's a Tara Jarmon blazer, made in France, and it fits me perfectly.

I'm wearing it here with a Neiman Marcus cashmere sweater my honey gave me; a pashmina scarf I snagged on major sale; a pair of thrifted Bongo jeans for less than $20; and a red faux croc tote I got years ago as a gift-with-purchase at the Elizabeth Arden counter.


I have a definite thing for statement piece blazers. This one would go with everything from jeans, as you see here, to a long wool skirt with boots and perhaps a chunky sweater.

Statement piece jackets, especially in the fall, have been a theme of mine the past few years. Come to think of it the man I'm dating is wild for them as well (though his aren't of the thrifted kind), and when I met him I was wearing the second blazer you see here - gee I wonder if that's partly the reason for his asking me out???? Thrift and romance: it's happened before.

I also picked up a black stretch A.X.L blazer, again with a perfect fit, for $9.99.

Have more to show from one of T.O.'s best and well-priced vintage stores - stay tuned!

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Feathered fascination at TIFF

Fellow grungers, forgive me, I did not wear the poly maxi dress everyone loved so below.

But when I was invited to the Hats On For Awareness party Friday night benefiting the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, I knew two things: I had to wear a hat, and the hat offered me was never going to go with a 1960s poly maxi dress, alas.

Pal and artisan Victoria Feistner has recently launched her custom handmade hat design biz, The Emporium Esoterica, and these gorgeous "fascinator" hats are only part of the heady pieces she has in the offering.


Emcee Ambrose Price Ambrose Price of
HGTV singled out my hat as one of the TOP THREE, but alas I didn't get my chance to parade on the stage as the live auction was taking a long time and they needed to move things along.

But that doesn't change the fact that Victoria's hats rock and this one truly was one of the best toppers in a party where over 500 people attended, and $40,000 was raised for CAMH!

Alas I have some pics from the fete but I need to find out how to get them off my internal memory ... will post Twitter link soon to my media follow up on event.

And my maxi dress may have its day in the sun - or spotlight? - as I'm considering going to another bash next week ... stay tuned!

P.S. The dress IS thrifted - a black empire waist cocktail dress by MEXX found for $6.99 at Goodwill!

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Purple queen: dress bought by subway

Retro purple shades for $3; mauve curtain sheers thrifted at Value Village years ago for a song ... and my new (and not used) purple dress bought on the subway for $9.99!

I'm really into purple these days - makes sense as the Grunge Queen as purple was the colour for royalty - but I'm finding this lighter mauve-y hue looks totally fab with my tan.

I didn't actually buy it ON the subway, but it was close enough, dug up at a no-name store just outside the Bay subway station in Toronto in the hall leading to the underground concourse there.

I've actually found some good booty in those semi-skany shops located in the actual subway stations - one at Eglinton and another at one of the northern subways, Sheppard I think.

Get creative with your shopping and look in places you'd never set foot in typically - you'll never know what you'll find!

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Statement piece blazers a la thrift

Yesterday was the first day of school for most kiddies in Toronto and it got me thinking about fall fashion (wah, summer just arrived in the city too!).

I love fall fashion - the patterned tights, the scarves, the accessories - so many cheap and chic ways to jazz up your closet.

Every fall I pick up a few statement piece blazers at the thrift shop, usually for under $10 each.

I found this thick green one for $4.99 at the Sally Ann. It's made in Japan and says size 15 - likely a plus size there as it's slightly big on me! - but it's thick, well tailored and looks expensive.

A gal pal from work gave me the silk scarf from Morocco that you see with it only days after I bought the blazer - talk about fashion karma!

This is my absolute fave statement piece blazer that never fails to elicit oohs and ahhs - picked up last year at Value Village for $7.99 if memory serves.

It's a velvet (you know my penchant for velvet couches and pillows? Sometimes it applies to what I wear too) patchwork paisley blazer - tres retro 1970s but when worn open with jeans and a cashmere turtleneck underneath, or belted here with my new vintage velvet belt, the look is tres glam.



It's got these crazy long floppy lapels that I need to pin down, but otherwise the lines are just fab.

Here's a back view.

Don't you just love it?

I've never worn it with the belt as I just purchased it but I am so giving it a whirl once it gets cooler.

The statement piece jacket a la thrift: a perfectly wonderful way to add some vroom to your fall and winter outfits!

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Thermos flask from Sally Ann dig

Ever gone back to the thrift shop over a month later and seen the thing you really wish you picked up the first time?

That happened to me yesterday when shopping along St. Clair West on my way to work.

This is a Thermos Bottle Co Ltd made in Toronto Canada (so it's etched on the bottom). It also reads "Thermos Stronglas, registered trademark, Made in Canada."

What a wonderful Canadian-made relic!

It's glass lined and has a hinged top and I just love it.

The thermos technology was created by a Brit but sold to various companies. The Thermos brand has a fascinating history; check it out if you're so inclined.

I think it was $6.99 when I was there the first time, but the price tag had fallen off so the powers that be at the Salvation Army Thrift Store gave it to me for $2.99.

I call that thrifting karma.

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100% polyester dress - shall I wear to TIFF?

The Toronto International Film Fest is coming up and I may be going to a party or two, and though I have heaps of cute sexy dresses I could wear this thrift find is def a red carpet look .....

Only $6.99 at my local Goodwill, this vintage 1960s halter dress fits me like a glove - the halter style is so flatering as it makes the shoulders look more broad, and the inverted V pattern just draws the eye in and creates a narrowing effect.

So, eventhough I won't be walking the red carpet at TIFF and very likely won't be meeting the Brad Pitts of the world (though I may fall all over myself to get a good peep George Clooney), I'm thinking of wearing this dress.

Would I be making a mistake? Shall I go for a safe cocktail dress or go all out with this full-length 100 percent POLYESTER FROM THE 1960s thrift find - yes I think the polyester makes it slightly iff-y; then again it's so darn thick it's friendly to the flab.

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My latest thrifty haul

Ever slept with a new thrift find by your bed?

Ok, kinda sad but I just felt like a kid when I found this retro placticized fabric clutch at the Common Sort 50 percent of sale yesterday.

I love the hardware, and inside the silky lining is in perfect condition - no stinky moth ball smell! - and there's even a mirror with the maker's name (Madison Creation) inside a tiny side pouch. So ladylike!

It was $10.50 with the discount, and yes, I slept with it on the floor by my bed last night.

I had to restrain myself from buying too many summer ditties since I try to look forward to the next season when I thrift shop - I have too many summer dresses in my closet, let's put it that way - so this super sassy rocker elasticized belt will be just perfect with anything from jeans to a suit. It was $9 with the discount.

This past year I've really gone to town on belts. I have a small waist and I figure I may as well accentuate the positive.

This vintage velvet elasticized belt with funky gold-tone hardware was a real find. I have one that's somewhat similar (see my tan post below - it's the one I wore higher up on my body with my $4.99 dress), but that one was $30 at the Toronto Film Studios fall sale, pricey for me but these belts are relatively hard to find.

This one was only $8 with the discount.

Nicole Babin owns Common Sort and has these sales a few times a year to clear out her stock. She also buys, sells or trades items that she sells in store, so she may take your castoffs if they suit her style ethic.

And once you're a customer you'll go on her email list and be notified of the 50 percent off sales! Last year I found a vintage Bergdorf Goodman quilted jacket at the sale. It's brilliant.

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More mirrors, no smoke

I'm still on my mirror theme today. They add glitz and glam and light to any space and, well, they're shiny and I'm attracted to them like a kid to a lollipop.

This uber heavy gilt mirror suits my rough-and-tumble chic look. It has an old flaky gold leaf look to it that speaks of age and a certain amount of decrepitude.

It was sitting in the basement of a dingy second-hand store in the west end of Toronto (that didn't stay open for long, alas) for $3.99. Natch I snapped it up.

I love the way it pops against the deep blue.

I've already shown you my little beauty nook in a tiny hallway, where a heavy second-hand mirror (about $30, pricey for the Grunge Queen) hangs over a gilt shelf ($2 at a garage sale in Ottawa when I went on vacation last year!).

I recently jazzed up the hallway by hanging a print under the gilt shelf. It extends the space and makes the ensemble look like an entire unit.

If you look behind it to the left you'll see a smaller version of the lacquer mirror I showed you yesterday, hanging over an empty frame I found at a garage sale (3 of them for $2).

This is the smallest decor mirror I've ever bought. It was about $6.99 at my local east-end Toronto thrift store, Stretch Thrift.

I use it to check my butt out in my oblong mirror when I'm getting dressed in the morning.

I love the rustic, semi scraggy look. It provides an interesting contrast to all my pretty shiny perfume bottles.

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Mirror, mirror - not on the wall

I'm feeling a bit betwixt and between in terms of new decor ideas. It's finally summer in Toronto yet despite the warm temps and some humidity it feels more like fall ... except it doesn't yet feel like fall, if you catch my drift.

My point? It seems too late to keep streamlining my pad, as I naturally seem to do in the summer, yet it's way too early to haul out the velvet drapes and go to town with cozy winter decor.

One feature that stays the same in my space no matter what the season: mirrors. Lots of them.

I'm not a narcissist, really. It's just that mirrors reflect light and make a room look bigger, and whatever the season, that's a good thing in my humble opinion.

So how many mirrors do I have? Seven, I think, not including a small funky one on a stand that I'll show you tomorrow (thrifted, of course).


The cool thing about the larger ones you see here is they're so versatile. I don't even hang 'em; I just prop 'em.

They can be turned sideways to create a different shape.

This gold mirror was $14.99 marked down from $19.99 at Value Village.

I like that it's a bit of an oxymoron: it gestures towards glitziness with the gold, yet the gold is painted over a rustic wood frame.




And it's no secret that mirrors just look so glam.

This (very heavy) wood lacquered one was on major special, over $200 regular price but if memory serves about $60 at my fave mirror and framing shop in Toronto, Syllogy at 217 Danforth Ave.

They have regular screamin' deals, cash only, on their huge wall mirrors, which they make themselves.

Heck you can even plop 'em on the floor, and balance a painting on top as I did here.


Lesson: you can move mirrors around your space just as you'd juggle pillows or candlesticks.

And they don't just have to hang on the wall.

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Brown and white versions of moi

There are certain things in life I don't like cheaping out on.

I'm paler than pale and have tried numerous tinted moisterizers and self-tanners from over the counter, all with the same depressing and orangy streaked results.

So when The Forest Hill Spa announced it had just introduced the St. Tropez method of airbrush tanning, I figure I'd give it a whirl.

It's only $65 for a full-body spray that takes about 20 minutes, then maybe another 25 or so to try.


Here I am in front of the booth, with legs whiter than the underbelly of a fish.


This is me after, looking hopefully like a bronzed beach babe.

I've never been this dark before, and it feels good. Having a tan - even a "fake" one, just makes you look healthier.

And there's no exposure to UV rays with this method.

What do you think? Shall I drop large hints to the man about getting me a package of 3 or 6 more treatments? (Hey, the Grunge Queen can maybe do $65, but not several hundred smackeroos).

This will wear off in a week or two, so if I don't keep it up I'll be white again in no time.

But for now it's nice to try out a different look, and it's definitley nice not to wear cover-up on my face! We'll see how the man - and men? - reacts.

P.S. I'm writing this the next day and I have the answer: men go bananas over tans. On my way home after work yesterday a man FOLLOWED ME ONTO THE BUS after I told him I wouldn't go out with him. He said I was "the most elegant woman" he's ever seen!

Mmm, this could be an interesting social experiment. Maybe I should dye my hair blond too!

BY THE WAY that dark blue dress I'm wearing is new, though it was $4.99 at an end-of-the-line shop I discovered across fromt he Value Village on the Danforth in Toronto.

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Movie star looks a la thrift

Dah-ling.

Ever since finding my $3 retro purple sunglasses
I've been slightly obsessed with ... you guessd it, large purple retro shades!

These purply pink retro shades called "Comet by Newtrend" were only 99 cents at my local thrift shop.

The person who wore them had a small head as the arms have been bent super short. But my optician can heat them and adjust them to fit me - remember that when you're scouting for retro shades!

I found another goodie yesterday while doing a shopping column in North Toronto. In one of my fave consignment shops, Around the Block I found this wonderful piece of costume jewellery for $10.

As you'll see with my other thrift jewellery posts, costume necklaces with multi-tiers are a particular obsession of mine. Pearls and chains are classy yet can be funked up, and they can solve various style woes.

I'm wearing them here with a jersey wrap-inspired dress by Bionic Woman by Toronto designer Mark Foreman, which has a long V-neck that shows my scar and makes me look even more flat-chested than I am.

A tangle of pearls and chains like this remedies those problems and makes me look like a rich beetch to boot.

Tip: always look for costume jewellery with some weight. It tends to look more classy and substantial. I can always tell it's retro by looking at the clasp, which always has cool and very ancient looking hardware.

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Layway art

What do you think?

This is a beautiful painting by Toronto artist Julie Glick Julie Glick. I found it at the Red Sable
gallery in Toronto while doing a recent Shopping Column.

Let's just say I fell in love with it.

Now reader, you know I normally get my art from the thrift store.

But Julie, also the curator at Red Sable, was flexible and let me do layaway.

I love that. Who does layaway anymore? It makes sense for big purchases like art, which will never go out of style, but not for things like fast fashion, which'll be outta style by the time you end up paying for them!

So in a few months, this lovely oil painting - here's a pic of it I snapped in the gallery with the frame - will be mine.

It's a nice feeling to have something to work towards. I love the feeling of anticipation. And every time I put some cash on it I'll get the same thrill I do when I'm in the thrift shop. It'll feel so good to finally bring it home, like I've worked so hard to get it - boy this feels kinda old-fashioned doesn't it?

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